NEW RALEIGH: “Tonic Design GREENville House Featured in Architectural Record”

April 16, 2010

Detail of the GREENville House

Young and hip, Raleigh architecture/design-build firm Tonic Design is no stranger to the pages of New Raleigh. From their multiple AIA-NC Awards, to local home tours, to bus designs, to finishing high on the Moore Square design competition, the crew over at Tonic are definitely creating some of the more cutting edge architecture in the region, if not a broader area.

As well as making waves in local design circles, over the years Tonic has also been published in a few national publications, with more sure to follow in the coming years. The most recent is a write-up in one of the largest trade magazines in the architecture industry, Architectural Record. The article focuses on the client/architecture relationship around their newest house (Walters’ Residence) in Greenville, North Carolina. The 4,700-square foot project “is expected to be rated LEED Silver in the next few months” and “has the performance of one half its size.” READ MORE…

INFORM: “Design Between The Lines”

The Walters Residence is slated for LEED Silver certification. Todd Lanning, photographer

By Georgia Bizios, FAIA, and Katie Wakeford

Bobby and Kristi Walters hired Tonic Design and Tonic Construction, sibling businesses based in Raleigh, North Carolina to help them create what would ultimately be a 4,000 square-foot home for a growing family on a three acre site.  It’s a contemporary home that exceeds their aspirations thanks to green strategies and smart process.

Projcted to receive LEED Silver Certification from the USGBC, the Tonic team pursued energy-efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, durability, and occupant health and comfort. Features include geothermal heating and cooling, rainwater collection in an underground cistern for irrigation, solar hot water with a tankless backup system, and low maintenance, highly durable materials such as zinc and cedar siding. READ MORE…

ARCHITECTURAL RECORD: “Walters’ Residence, Greenville, North Carolina”

April 2010

The Walters’ Residence

By Ingrid Spencer

For Bobby and Kristi Walters a lot has changed over the five years since they approached Vinny Petrarca, Assoc. AIA, to design their house in Greenville, North Carolina. They’ve gotten married, Bobby made partner in his medical practice, they’re expecting their first child, and they’ve moved into the home designed and built by Petrarca’s firms Tonic Design and Tonic Construction. A lot too, occurred with the process of designing and building the house, including at least one rejection from local authorities for permits to build this Modern house. “It didn’t matter that the design integrated sustainability and new technology,” says Petrarca. “They just turned it down.”

Petrarca was as happy as the Walters when they found an alternative three-acre plot in a newly developed coastal plain area of Greenville where the design was met with encouragement rather than objections. At just over 4,700-square feet, it’s not a small project, but Petrarca and project manager Robby Johnston argue that the house—which is expected to be rated LEED Silver in the next few months has the performance of one  half its size… READ MORE…